Bullied and Dumped, But She Won in the End (Adriana) novel Chapter 178

**When Time Tried to Heal Me But I Refused to Listen by Kael Niro Senn**

**Chapter 178: The Enemy’s Mockery**

His voice dripped with false sweetness, a saccharine tone that suggested he still held out hope that with the right words, he could persuade her to see things his way.

“Forget it, Matthew!” Adriana’s voice trembled with rage, each word sharp as a blade. “If you don’t stop pursuing Curtis, I swear—”

She halted abruptly, the threat hanging in the air, sounding as empty as a promise made in haste.

“Adriana,” Matthew’s tone shifted, turning urgent and edged with desperation. “You’re deluding yourself if you think Curtis loves you. He doesn’t.”

Adriana refused to give him the satisfaction of a retort. With a swift motion, she ended the call, flinging her phone onto the couch as if it were a venomous snake.

Almost instantly, the device began to ring again, its persistent tone echoing in the silence of the room. She ignored it, her heart pounding in her chest.

How could he still cling to her after all this time?

Was four long years not sufficient for him to understand that she had moved on? Or was it simply maddening for him to see that the woman he once toyed with now belonged to someone else entirely?

Adriana sank into the couch, her gaze fixated on her abdomen, lost in thoughts that spiraled like smoke.

She had genuinely believed she would carry that baby to term, nurturing a life that would bring joy and hope.

But the accident had shattered that fragile dream, splintering it like glass crashing against unforgiving concrete.

Belinda had acted under Cynthia’s coercion, and Adriana knew that much. The girl had not intended to hurt her, but the absence of any consequence for Cynthia stung like a thousand needles. Curtis had remained silent, offering no reprimand, no acknowledgment of the pain caused.

That silence was a wound that cut deeper than any words could. Curtis always claimed to feel nothing but gratitude toward Cynthia. Yet, Adriana found herself questioning the truth of that statement.

That child had been a part of him too.

Days passed, and then a text from Curtis appeared on her screen, cold and impersonal. He was busy with work and would be out of town for a week.

Adriana curled up on the couch, her chest constricted with sorrow, her face buried in the pillow as tears streamed down her cheeks, burning her throat with their intensity.

Without the baby, what remained of their relationship? They had no genuine love, only a contract binding them together. And a mere contract could never hold a heart intact.

—

After several days of retreating into the confines of her home, Adriana steeled herself to return to campus.

She made her way to the library, hoping to borrow some books to distract her mind, but fate seemed to be playing a cruel game. Cheryl was there, an unwelcome reminder of everything she wished to forget.

Adriana instinctively turned to escape, but Cheryl’s sharp eyes locked onto her, and she strode over, her heels clicking ominously against the floor.

“Well, look who it is,” Cheryl jeered, her voice laced with venom. “Adriana Xander. Word travels fast, doesn’t it? You couldn’t even hold onto the Lincolns’ heir, and now Curtis is about to toss you aside.”

Adriana felt her blood boil, her eyes narrowing. “Get out of my way, Cheryl.”

Cheryl’s laughter rang out, a harsh sound that cut through the air like shards of glass. “Please, spare me the act. You only had a place in that family because of that baby. Too bad you couldn’t keep it.”

Adriana’s fists clenched at her sides, and she turned to leave, but Cheryl stepped closer, her tone dripping with malice.

“Adriana…”

Her entire body froze at the sound of that voice—familiar and unexpected. Belinda.

Adriana turned sharply, her tone cautious. “I told you not to come here again.”

Belinda’s eyes glistened with unshed tears. “Adriana, I’m truly sorry.”

Her voice trembled as she looked down, shame evident in her posture. “I know you’ll never forgive me. I know it was you who begged Curtis to spare me. If you hadn’t intervened, he wouldn’t have done it. I’m leaving Haldoria. I got accepted to study abroad. You won’t have to see me anymore.”

Adriana remained silent, her heart a tangled mess of emotions.

Belinda hesitated, then whispered, “Curtis really does care about you.” Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears. “My mom has been sent to a psychiatric hospital in Harborton. Curtis did it himself. Without his permission, she’ll never get out. She’ll spend the rest of her life locked away. He made sure of it.”

Adriana’s gaze shot up, shock widening her eyes.

She hadn’t anticipated Curtis would go to such lengths.

Belinda pressed on, “He’s been at the police station for days, handling everything. I had a recording of my mom telling me to push you down the stairs, and Curtis turned it in himself. But because she was having a mental health crisis, the police sent her to the hospital instead.”

Adriana’s hands trembled, heat flooding her palms while her body felt frigid.

Curtis had actually gone to the police… for her.

Belinda wiped her cheeks, her voice breaking. “My mom thought she could hold onto Curtis forever with her so-called debt of gratitude. But if she had just kept quiet, he would have taken care of her. She didn’t have to reach for what was never hers.”